How Is Shinto Similar To Confucianism

Shintoism: The Way of the Kami. Israel defines Kami as spirits that affiliate with natural objects such as the sun and the moon. In the opening of Buddha in the Land of the Kami, the narrator shares the historical background of the Kami, stating that a spiritual duo came down to Earth to stir up the sea waters, creating the archipelago of Japan. The sprits figure out reproduction and multiply, inhabiting the chain of Islands known as Japan. The narrators also mention the Kami in mountains, wind, grass and other natural entities. According to the film, spiritual rituals performed in earlier eras show continuity in Shinto shrines today. Israel explains that later, during the Asuka-Nara Period, The Yamato high courts establish a system that would monitor Shinto shrines. “The Yomato court developed a centralized

• The historical significance of the phrase Shinto is that it is a type of religion that was based on respect for the forces of nature and on the worship of ancestors. Also, worshippers believed in kami which are divine spirits that lived in nature. Shinto religion was also influenced by the Koreans because they introduced Buddhism to them. Some Buddhist rituals became Shinto rituals. This made the Japanese take an interest in the Chinese writing system, art, and the Chinese styles of simple arts of everyday life.

Kanetomo defines the second type of Shinto, Ryobu, as the “twofold mandala combination” (Debary 352). Built on Kanetomo’s definition, Ryobu Shinto is based on the assimilation and mixture between the Diamond and Womb Mandalas and the Outer and Inner Shrines of Ise (Debary 352). The focus on the mandalas reveals the importance of kami and other Shinto deities in Ryobu Shinto. I believe worshippers of Ryobu Shinto had to find their own spiritual relations with the kami through the rituals and practices centered on the

Firstly, the traditions within Shintoism were important to help the Japanese people to connect with their ancestors and the nature around them. The word ‘Shinto’ itself means way of the gods. It is as old as the Japanese culture and was the only religion in Japan until the 6th century. According to the Shinto religion, there exists a basic life force called kami. Kami are close to human beings and respond to human prayers. They can influence the course of natural forces, and human events. Shinto tradition says that there are eight million kami in Japan. Due to their deep respect and love for nature and Japan itself, many shrines were set up in places of natural beauty. Followers went to pray here to receive good fortune and samurai would often go to the shrines to pray for victory before and after battle. Shinto’s traditions involved having a clean lifestyle. They washed and bathed everyday which made most of japan a fresh

Since Japan's earliest days, Shinto has been the code of honor and action for the Japanese. It is also a polytheistic religion, they believe there is a God for everything.(brittanica)

Shinto has no orthodox cannon of sacred literature and has no explicit code of ethical requirements. It varies very differently from most religions in that aspect, however the Japanese people still believe in it as strongly as they have in ancient times. Shinto managed to survived even though it was disestablished in 1946, when the Emperor lost his divine status as part of the allied reformation of Japan (Shinto History 2009). It goes to show the true strength of faith that people had to continue with the religion even though everything was against

At around 300 B.C.E the Japanese people where set up in small clans named Uji and each clan where unique from each other since they developed independently due to the mountains such as Fuji (Kasulis, 75). Each Uji believed in a a spirit that protected the clan known as a Ujigami which was the predecessor for the modern day kami that many foreign individuals see as

The goal of Buddhism is to attain enlightenment and to break the chain of samsara (birth, death, and rebirth) by overcoming ignorance. The goal of Shinto is to connect with the kami that surrounds the land and eventually become kami. To attain enlightenment in Buddhism you must achieve certain steps such as nirvana and “awaken to the true nature of things.” According to The Essence of Shinto, to become kami it is required to reflect on uncleanness (sins, faults, etc.) and apply cleanliness by the adjustment of sight and hearing, and progress must be shown. However, the two traditions share similarities regarding their flexibility. Shinto and Buddhism do not require belief in one personal god, and both traditions are very open and tolerant to other beliefs. Additionally, both traditions are based off a story or myth, and they have distinct places of worship such as shrines and temples. In Buddhism, the belief system is based off the story of a human and in Shinto it based off the creation stories and myths of deities. This is very important to how both faiths originated and grew so

There are a number of similarities between the eastern religions and philosophies of Confucianism, Buddhism and Hinduism. While Hinduism is centered around a supreme being, Buddhism and Confucianism are centered around the teachings of a man. Each encourages moral behavior, ethical values, such as non-violence, charity, and a respect for the universe. To better understand the philosophical similarities and differences between Confucianism, Buddhism and Hinduism, it is important first to consider the teachings of Buddha, Patanjali and Confucius in their historical context.

As said before a patient may practice Shinto in conjunction with another religion such as Buddhism and even Christianity. The spiritual perception of healing in regards to Shintoism is that health is associated with purity. The critical components of healing may include ritual cleansing, prayer or other spiritual practices from combining religions with Shintoism. An important thing for healthcare workers to be aware of when caring for a patient of the Shinto faith is that death and illness are considered impure and it may be difficult to have a conversation regarding end of life care (Queensland Health, 2011). The four affirmations of Shinto can help health care providers understand the Shinto faith. These affirmations include: tradition and the family, family is considered the foundation for maintaining traditions; love of nature, Shinto holds nature sacred; ritual purity, this includes ritual bathing to spiritually and physically cleanse before entering a shrine to worship the kami; matsuri, which is the worshipping and honoring of the kami and ancestral spirits (BBC Religions, 2013).

Within all religions, there is a belief in beings that live around us and can have the means to answer certain prayers. Kami is a term used in Shintoism as spirits that live closely with human beings, which are ‘anything out of the ordinary, awe-inspiring, mysterious, powerful, marvelous, and beyond human control or comprehension.’ (Brood 318) Kami is often associated with ancestors and loved ones who have passed on from the world of the living or even evil being who wish to do harm to those still living. Shintoism states that many of these Kami can have the power to not only alter human events but can also influence natural forces. Kami when applied to spirits that live in things is a way to attach a meaning to the word, but it also applies

Shinto is an ancient indigenous religion of Japan that is often considered Japan’s national religion. It certainly plays an important role in the lives of many, if not most, Japanese people, and it is closely tied to Japan’s national identity. Shinto has no known founder and no sacred texts or formal written doctrine, which makes it stand out from most of the other religions that we have studied about this semester. Central to the Shinto religion is the belief in the kami, which are considered spirits or gods; in fact, Shinto literally means “the way of the kami”. According to Shinto beliefs the kami permeate every area of nature and every human also contains a kami. In this sense the kami that each person has within them can be considered

When approaching the shrine of a Kami, it is custom to wash the hands and mouth with water from a chozuya, or pavilion for cleansing one’s self (Nakano, para 5). It is then custom to bow at the altar and ring the bell to call the deities attention (Nakano, para 5). Before beginning the prayer, a small offering is made to the Kami (Nakano, para 5). It is then custom bow twice, with the first bow being at 90 degrees to show respect to the deity, and clap twice (Nakano, para 5). Then the hands are placed together and the right hand is shifted down slightly (Nakano, para 5). Then the person claps and is purified by otodama. A small prayer to the Kami may then be made When finished, it is customary to bow at 90 degrees, back up three steps and bow again, making sure that you do not turn your back to the deity of the shrine (Nakano, para 5). This process shows the strength of the Shinto religion by the people of Japan, and the necessary rituals they undergo to pay respect to a Kami or spirit. These ancient customs have been passed down from generation to generation and continue to this day in the same manor that they were conducted hundreds of years ago (Nakano, para 5).

In Shinto they focus on 4 main ideals which include cleanliness, brightness, balance, what is right. Thought the practice of these ideals that Shintos make part of their everyday life it is reflected through all four ideals. Every so often things can become unstable in a individuals physical environment, spirit, and mind so they must restore their balance these everyday rituals of purification and cleanliness. The most important ritual is misogi which is quite similar to Harae which of course is consisting of purification through water and can take place where water is present. Just like Harae a priest will wave a stick with streamers but he waves the stick over a shrine and then waves over the individual who are apart of the ceremony.

Before this discussion all I knew about Shintoism is that it is an ethnic religion of Japan and rather than a unified religion, it is a collection of beliefs and mythology, which places emphasis on daily ritual practices. After this discussion I learnt that the Shinto religion is the belief that gods and humans are not separated by metaphysical boundaries. In Shinto, spirits and humans exist side by side, which suggests that the spiritual world and the physical world are the same.